Gluten Free Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes & Donuts!

 Who knew black beans could be so versatile??

Read more for 2 recipes: Gluten free black bean cupcakes and black bean donuts!

Gluten Free Banana Bread Muffins and Quest Bar Frosting

Want to try some delicious guiltfree banana bread muffins covered in frosting?!

Easiest Healthy Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies!

Who would've thought that black beans could taste so guilty... but be so healthy?

Here's the base ingredient! But they're so versatile and fun to play around with, so I included 2 other crazy recipes!

#OperationSxy eBook Volume 1: Down and Dirty Desserts

The EBOOK IS NOW FOR SALE!

#OperationSxy 

Volume 1: 

Down and Dirty Desserts

Over 35 Healthy Clean Eating Dessert Recipes!

+ Clean eating guidlines

+ 2 page printable Grocery List

+ Sample Week of My Clean Eats

Here's a sneak peek at some of the goodies!

Sweet Date Truffles

Cheesecake

3 Layered PB Cups

 PB Cups with Black Bean Brownies in the Background | Microwave Chocolate PB LAVA Cake with Icecream

Topless Apple Pies

2 Layered Fudge Brownie

Banana PB Cup for 1

3 Ingredient Chocolate Mug Cake

Key lime Cheese Cake

Coconut Macaroons

I KNOW CRAZY #foodporn RIGHT?!?!?!

buy

After clicking "Buy now" you will be brought to Paypal where you can purchase it through there! Then you will be brought to a page that will allow immediate download of the pdf!

Enjoy!

If for some reason you can not download the pdf, please send me an email at vm.fitness@yahoo.com

If you make any of the recipes or meals from the meal plan, be sure to tag #vmfitness for a possible feature on my page!

<3 <3

Happy baking!

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Click below to read about:

Volume 2: 

Sweet and Savory Bites: Meals, Snacks, and Protein Recipes

My Love of Quest & Total Body Killer Workout

Hello fit fam! Today for you I have a review on some Quest bars and a kick-butt Total Body workout! Great to do post-holiday season ;]
But first....

HOLYYYY deliciousness.

I got to sample some of Quest's new goodies, their:

 Cravings Peanut Butter Cups!

Yes I am part of the #nutbutteraddict club, and I'M NOT AFRAID TO ADMIT IT! I have a problem. Is there a nut butters anonymous out there anywhere? I gotta get on that STAT. Ahh back to the cups!

Can I say they taste almost EXACTLY the same as Reese's Cups?! But with a bunch of nutrition and protein and without all the nasty unhealthiness! The peanut butter part was my favorite of course :] And the chocolate part didn't taste just like the Reese's chocolate, it had sort of a thicker flavor, yes I just gave "flavor" and adjective that isn't usually used to describe a flavor. There was like a thick darkness taste, not the taste of white or milk chocolate, but not completely bitter as dark chocolate. It was a perfect combination. And the peanut butter kinda gets stuck to your teeth and to the top of the roof of your mouth! Hehe I kinda like it because I can save some for later.. :P just kidding.
But I do like the overall taste of this Quest product! Seriously, this is my new addiction. I'm going to need to buy a whole box... or 5.....

Banana Nut Muffin

I hate to be boring.... but this LITERALLY tasted just like a Banana Nut Muffin! I'm SERIOUS. There's just no other way to describe it than by telling you it tastes JUST LIKE the wrapper says! Imagine any banana bread you've had with nuts and crunchiness inside and THIS IS EXACTLY like that. But SOOOOO much healthier! It's got real nuts inside and the crunch adds such great texture! And usually, I hate artificially flavored banana products because they never end up tasting "right" or like genuine banana. They're always either too sweet, or too MUCH banana, which makes it taste ... eckkk. But this?!?! RIGHT ON THE MONEY! DELICIOUS DELICIOUS DELICIOUS.

Seriously, find me a Quest product I DON'T LOVE! When pigs fly...



Thank you so much QUEST for letting me sample these delicious flavors! If you ever need a guinea pig for more flavors.... you know who to contact ;]

-------------------------------------------------

And now for this amazing:

SUPER FAT BLASTING HEART THROBBING TOTAL BODY WEIGHTS & CARDIO WORKOUT 

I did this circuit after an unexpected rest day during my Finals Week to get my whole body worked up with a good sweat and BOYYYY did it do the trick! Try it out and let me know how you did! This would also be a great workout to do post-holiday food coma so that you can put all those carbs to use! I know I'm gonna need to go through this a few good times...

SS means Superset! So do that exercise right after the first one with no rest! And TS is just triple set! All of the ones that can be done with weights, DO IT HEAVYYYY! Burn those cals #fitfam! If you don't know any of the moves, try googling them and they should come up!

For the kickback and tricep dips, that's a glute cable kickback!

The last exercise is pretty self explanatory! Squat down, then get up, bicep curl, and then shoulder press!
I also added to the last one to make it a triple set, some deadlifts! 3x12!

For "step up skips", I posted a little collage on my instagram, so here it is below:

You basically step one foot up on the bench, then the other, and then skip back down, really fast! The step up skips are steps 1-5! Get that heart rate up!

Enjoy! Let me know how you did!

BRRR.. it's cold... ARCTIC COLD... & Some Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Hey everyone!!!

It's getting colder outside! Leaves are changing colors, boots and jackets are coming out, and it's almost time for those chilly holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas!!

I can't believe how fast this year passed!! Almost a new year! 2 months away!

Have you reached your 2012 goals??

Well in this blog post, I have 2 treats for you! A delicious warm recipe you can whip up and eat on a chilly day, TURKEY STUFFED BELL PEPPERS! Scroll to the bottom for the recipe! ANDDD a review on ... ICE CREAM! Even though it's getting colder, doesn't mean you can't have a nice cold treat :]

That's where this product comes in...

ARCTIC ZERO

Low calorie, gluten free, lactose free, high whey protein Ice Cream. Whaat?!!?! Yeah you read right. It's ice cream that is actually good for you! Perfect Post workout treat to shoot that protein straight to your hard earned muscles! And now that I'm going Gluten free due to Thyroid issues, these are the perfect dessert!!!

Here's what they claim about their products:

Arctic Zero is a high quality guilt free frozen dessert that is all natural, gluten free, suitable for lactose intolerants, and low glycemic. Like "super foods", we like to call it a "super dessert". People consume it for many reasons: just a snack, to replace a meal, indulge guilt free and the list goes on.
Arctic Zero is sweetened with a proprietary blend of monk fruit concentrate and organic cane sugar. We do not use artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols of any kind.
Arctic Zero contains whey protein concentrate, which is a milk derivative and therefore is not dairy free or vegan. If you have dairy/milk allergies please consult your physician.

Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter,
Mint Chocolate Cookie
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Vanilla Maple
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Cookies & Cream
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Coffee
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, INSTANT COFFEE, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Strawberry
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, STRAWBERRIES, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, BEET JUICE FOR COLOR, CITRIC ACID, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Pumpkin Spice
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, PUMPKIN, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO FOR COLOR, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

ALLERGY INFORMATION: CONTAINS MILK

OUR NATURAL FLAVORS DO NOT CONTAIN MSG OR HVP

You can find out more information about their low calorie protein products at their website and to find out where they sell their products near you!

And here are my reviews on the flavors!

Vanilla Maple - This is a very light and sweet flavor. This is the one I usually see when I go to health grocery stores. They unfortunately don't carry all of their flavors, but of the few they do carry I always see this Vanilla Maple. It is sweeter than I expected, and the vanilla is nice and subtle, but it does have a strong maple flavor. Love it!

Coffee - Such a great Coffee flavor! Not too bitter like black coffee, and not overly sweet either! You want a Starbucks frapp without the crazy calories? One of their small sugary drinks has more calories than this huge pint of ice cream! Crazy right?! And this was one of the flavors that still tasted like coffee the whole time! For a few of the others, my tongue would go numb and soon couldn't taste the flavor anymore, but the coffee flavor was still strong and potent till the very bottom. YUM!

Cookies and Cream - Coldstone anyone? Mmm I LOVE Cookies and Cream! I have whey protein powder that's this flavor! So yummy and delicious! Like ice cream Oreos. Droool...

Pumpkin Spice - This is just the perfect flavor for fall. It tastes like pumpkin pie and cinnamon all in one! It's such a unique taste, like the name, pumpkin spice! I ate this post workout all nice and snuggled up on my couch, it's such a relaxing flavor, if that makes any sense? And it was one of the ice creams where you could still taste the flavor even at the bottom of the carton!

Peanut Butter Chocolate - Mmm peanut butter and chocolate, the best of both worlds. Unfortunately for me, since I'm a peanut butter addict, I felt like there wasn't a strong enough peanut butter taste! It had a stronger chocolate flavor than the peanut butter, but it was still delicious and guilt free :]

Chocolate - Chocolate, every girls best friend! You know how after a hard relationship breakup or any major stress-out, all the girls get together and stuff their face with fattening sweets, goodies, and ice cream? Well NOW you can stuff your face with healthy, protein packed Chocolate Ice Cream! So you can how your chow time, without the regretted weight and fat gain afterwords! Great chocolate flavor, not too bitter like 90% dark chocolate, but also not sickeningly sweet!

Mint Chocolate Chip - I've heard some compare this flavor to Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mints, but since I  have never had one (I was a Samoas cookie lover girl), I don't know if that's true or not. To me it tasted JUST like a YORK PEPPERMINT PATTY! Delicious, fresh, minty, chocolatey goodness.

Strawberry - This was surprisingly delicious! It was so fresh, and there were actual real pieces of strawberries in there! Kind of like sorbet tasting, but creamier.

So does it all sound too good to be true? Delicious, low calorie ice cream, packed with protein, that's actually GOOD FOR YOU?! I don't know why you're still here reading this, go get some ARCTIC ZERO ICE CREAM NOWWW. They can be found at local health food stores or you can order them online through Amazon! Fast shipping and they come to you still frozen!

While you're buying these amazing protein goodies, go follow them on twitter or like them on facebook to get some COOOL updates from the company!

Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

This, like my other recipes, is relatively simple! I don't like to overcomplicate anything and the easier, the better! So of course, feel free to add in ANY veggies and other herbs that you like! This is just what I had on hand!

Ingredients:

Any colored bell peppers you want

Lean ground turkey

Seasonings and herbs

Other veggies and stuffings (your choice!)

Low sodium natural tomato sauce 

Method:

Preheat oven to 380-400 deg Fahrenheit

First I cut off the tops of my bell peppers! So prettyyyyyyy

Then I cooked up on the stove my ground turkey

Added in: cayenne, onion powder, garlic, Mrs. Dash seasonings, cumin, and chopped up bell pepper!

Once those were all nice and browned I added in 1 cup of low sodium tomato sauce and stirred everything together!

Stuff those peppers!!

On some I added some skim Mozzarella cheese! Melted all nice and gooooeyy

Put them in a shallow dish and cover with foil!

Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes!

VOILA! Easy, done, simple. 

Now remember, you can make it zesty and add in any other veggies and shtuff that you want! Get creative! Clean eating is NOT boring!